Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-334765 (hereinafter referred to as “JP 2007-334765 A”) has the object of providing a remote operation device for a vehicle for remotely operating or performing automated driving that does not pose an inconvenience to the driver (paragraph [0006], abstract). In order to accomplish this object, the remote operation device 1 of JP 2007-334765 A is provided with a travel route storage means 230 in which a travel route for the vehicle is stored, a monitoring device 240 that monitors the periphery of a travel position of the vehicle, and a vehicle travel control means 220, which controls the vehicle so as to travel on the travel route stored by the travel route storage means 230, in a first state when the monitoring device 240 is operating normally, and controls the vehicle so as to travel on the travel route stored by the travel route storage means 230, in a second state responsive to an abnormal condition when the monitoring device 240 is operating abnormally (abstract).
As the abnormal condition referred to above, in an operative example 1, a malfunction of the monitoring device 240 (camera) at a time of parking in a garage is cited (step S102 of FIG. 4, paragraph [0052]). If a malfunction of the camera has occurred (step S102: YES), a vehicle 3 is decelerated (step S103, paragraphs [0054] and [0058]). In other words, the aforementioned second state is a decelerating state of the vehicle 3.
Further, in an operative example 2, an abnormality (steering failure) of a steering control unit 20 or a steering device 20a at the time of parking in a garage is cited (paragraphs [0063] and [0065]). If an abnormality has occurred in the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a (step S202 of FIG. 5: YES), the vehicle 3 is stopped (S203). In such a state, if there is a command to start the vehicle (step S205: YES), the vehicle 3 is moved by only several tens of centimeters in an intermittent traveling mode (step S206, paragraph [0070]). Stated otherwise, the second state in the aforementioned operative example 2 is a state of intermittent traveling.
Moreover, intermittent traveling may be performed if a malfunction occurs in a monitoring device 30, and decelerated traveling may be performed if a malfunction occurs in the steering control unit 20 or the steering device 20a (paragraph [0074]).